Anything but Ordinary
by Rylee87
Summary: Michaela survived her encounter with Kahmunrah and was now moving on with her life. She's starting college in New York. With old and new friends she's sure she can survive this new adventure. Of course, not everything goes according to plan. Soon a new danger arrives and it will take everyone to pull together if they want to live to see the next night.
1. Chapter 1

**Finally, it is here! The sequel to Believing the Unbelievable. It took me a little longer to get this up then I thought, but it's here now. Hope you all enjoy this as much as you did the first one.**

* * *

Nervous. That was the first thing Michaela felt as she stepped onto the college campus. It was a lot bigger than what it looked like on the website. There were many students walking around either trying to find their way around, or just exploring. Carrying the two bags she had brought with her, Michaela made her way to a table with a sign that read, NEW STUDENTS START HERE!

"Hello." Michaela said as she walked up to the table, dropping her bags.

The girl behind the table smiled. "Hi. I'm Roxanne here to help with whatever you need."

"Uh, thanks. So, what do I need to start?"

"Each student packet has all the information you may need about the campus. It explains about the cafeteria, the different halls, and other important things. There is also a map which comes in handy. Your room has already been assigned and you will find that information on the inside of your packet. Name?"

"Michaela Andrews."

Roxanne looked through the packets until she found the right one. "Here you are." Roxanne handed it to Michaela. "If you have any questions come back and see me."

"Thanks."

Michaela opened her packet and found her dorm room. She quickly glanced at the map and then headed for her new room.

Surprisingly, it didn't take her that long to find her room and she didn't get lost…well, maybe once but she quickly found her way. When she walked in she saw there were two beds. So, she would be sharing the room. Michaela just hoped that whoever it was they would get along. Since it didn't look like her roommate was here yet, she went ahead and claimed one of the beds. She chose the one in the corner. The other bed was positioned on the other side of the room a little towards the center near the window.

Michaela dropped her bags on the bed and sat down. She then took out her schedule that came in her packet. Most of her classes were during the day, which was good. That would leave her some free time during the night to visit Larry and the museum. She was excited to see him and the others again.

The opening of the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Glancing up, she saw someone not much older than her walk in the room.

Michaela smiled. "You must be my roommate. I'm Michaela."

"Of course I'm your roommate. I wouldn't be walking into a room with my bags just for the fun of it." She then put her bags on the other bed.

Michaela waited to see if the girl would introduce herself but when she didn't Michaela said, "What's your name?"

The girl looked over at Michaela like she was bothering her. "Candace."

"Well, it's nice to meet you."

Candace said nothing as she turned back around and began unpacking. Michaela sighed. She had a feeling this was going to be a long year.

It was still early in the day so Michaela decided that she would unpack later and go see if she could find Larry. She grabbed her wallet and headed out. On her way by the office she saw they had a phone book so her first stop was there. Once she found what she was looking for – there was only one Larry Daley in the phonebook – she grabbed a cab and made her way over there.

As she rode in the taxi, she wondered what Larry would say when he saw her. It had been some months since they last saw each other.

When Michaela arrived at Larry's place she thought that maybe she should have called first. Well, if he wasn't home then she would just wander around the city. She had never been to New York before so there were lots to discover.

Michaela knocked on the door. It wasn't long before the door opened revealing a boy.

"Um, hello. I'm looking for Larry Daley. Does he live here?"

"Yeah, hold on." The boy turned around. "Dad, there's someone here to see you." The boy then moved out of the way as Larry came to the door.

Larry looked surprised when he saw her. "Michaela?"

"Hey Larry. You told me to look you up if I was in New York and well…I'm here."

"I see that. It's good to see you." He gave her a hug. "Uh, come in."

Michaela stepped inside.

"Is this your son?" Michaela asked.

"Yeah. Michaela this is Nick. Nick this is Michaela. She's the one who helped me at the Smithsonian."

"Dad told me all the amazing things you did." Nick said.

"I wouldn't say I did anything amazing. I was just trying to help."

"She's just being modest. She really was a great help. So Michaela, what brings you here?"

"I'm actually starting school soon."

"What are you studying?" Nick asked.

"I'm going to be a historian. Recent events have made history more interesting for me."

"Yeah, having a whole museum come to life will do that to a person." Larry said.

"Have you been to New York before, Michaela?" Nick asked.

"No. This is my first time actually."

"We could show you around. There are a lot of cool places here."

"I would like that."

"Hey, it's only a couple hours until I have to be at the museum." Larry said. "How about we go to dinner and then go to the museum? I'm sure everyone would be happy to see you, Michaela."

Michaela smiled. "All right. Sounds good."

The three of them then went to dinner. Michaela was explaining everything that happened with her and Kahmunrah. She then told what happened after Larry left. He felt bad that she lost her job, but Michaela just shrugged. She didn't mind especially because she was actually doing something with her life now.

Once they were done with dinner, they made their way to the museum. Michaela was excited to see everyone again and also meet the other exhibits. Even though Jed had forgiven her for what she had done she still wondered what his reaction would be to seeing her.

As Michaela walked into the museum, a thought occurred to her.

"Hey Larry, do you think Ahkmenrah will hate me?"

Larry looked at her with confusion. "Why would he hate you?"

"For what happened with Kahmunrah. I mean, I don't think they were close but they were still brothers."

"I'm sure Ahk won't hate you. I explained about what happened and he doesn't hate me. So if he doesn't hate me then he won't hate you."

 _Yeah, but you didn't play with his brother's feelings._ Kyleigh thought. She still felt guilty for what she had done even though she didn't have many options. There was a chance Kahmunrah was going to hurt her if she hadn't come up with something.

"Don't worry so much." Larry said. "Everyone will like you."

Michaela nodded, but she still had some doubts. She didn't have any more time to dwell on what would happen. The sun had gone down and the museum came to life.

* * *

 **Ok, so I know this one was short. The next one will be longer and more interesting. Michaela will meet everyone and will have an interesting conversation with a certain pharaoh. I'm so excited for this!**


	2. Chapter 2

Michaela had seen the Smithsonian come to life, but she was still amazed. She jumped when the t-rex roared and hid behind Larry.

Larry laughed. "Don't worry. Rexy won't hurt you."

"You named a t-rex fossil Rexy? Good name."

Rexy roared again, then took off.

"Lawrence, I see you brought someone new to the museum."

Michaela turned and saw Theodore Roosevelt on a horse.

"Yeah. This is Michaela. Michaela, this is Teddy."

"Michaela? The one who helped at the Smithsonian?"

"Yep, that's me."

Teddy got down from his horse and held out his hand to Michaela. "Good to finally meet you. And thank you for bringing everyone back."

Michaela shook his hand. "Uh, you're welcome. Does everyone know about me?"

"Pretty much." Nick said.

"Hey Nick, why don't you show Michaela to the diorama room." Larry said. "I'm sure a certain cowboy would be happy to see you."

"All right. This way." Nick said.

Michaela followed.

Along the way, Nick was pointing out where things were. He also introduced her to some of the other exhibits. They passed Sacagawea, who was happy to see Michaela. It wasn't long before they got to their destination and the first thing Michaela noticed was Jed was arguing.

Michaela shook her head. Some things never change.

"Nothing good is going to come out of this." Jed said.

"You don't know that." Octavius said. "This could be a good thing."

"Nothing good comes from pirates. Have you ever met a pirate?"

"Well…no."

"Have you met a pirate, Jed?" Michaela asked, sitting on the ground next where the two were standing.

"No, I haven't, but I've heard stories and…" Jed turned and when his eyes landed on Michaela he smiled. "Nice to see you again, Michaela."

Michaela smiled. "You too. So, what's this about pirates?"

"The museum is getting a new exhibit. A pirate exhibit. Do you know how rowdy pirates can be?"

"Not personally, but I've heard stories."

"And those stories never end well."

"These pirates might be different." Octavius said.

Jed scoffed. "Doubt it."

"Maybe we should change the subject." Michaela said.

"Good idea." Octavius said.

"How long you here for, Michaela?" Jed asked.

"I'll be here for a while. Moved here to attend college."

"Good for you."

Michaela knew without having to ask that Jed really did forgive her for what had happened. She was afraid that he had only forgiven her because they may not have seen each other again. It was silly now that she actually thought about it.

They sat and talked a while longer before they decided to join the others in the lobby. Michaela stopped at the top of the stairs when she saw someone dressed in Egyptian clothing. She assumed that was Ahkmenrah. Larry had said that Ahkmenrah wouldn't hate her and she believed him, but she was still a little nervous meeting him. What if Larry was wrong and he did hate her? Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Ahkmenrah is cuter than his brother." Michaela said.

"Are you serious?" Jed asked from her shoulder.

Michaela glanced at him. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yep, you did."

"Let's just keep this between us, all right?"

"My lips are sealed."

Michaela made her way down the rest of the stairs and placed Jed and Octavius on the desk. She then walked over to Ahkmenrah to introduce herself. Different scenarios played out in her head, some were good and some weren't.

Michaela shook her head. She should stop making things up. It wouldn't do any good. And she has recently learned that nothing is as bad as she makes it out to be.

"You must be Michaela." Ahkmenrah said when he saw her.

"Yeah, that's me. Nice to meet you." It came out more of a question than a statement.

"Nice to meet you as well. Excuse me for a moment." He then walked passed Michaela.

Michaela stood there wondering what just happened. She turned and watched as Ahkmenrah left the lobby. Maybe he really did hate her. Well, if he did hate her then he should say so and not just ignore her. With determination, Michaela followed the pharaoh.

Ahkmenrah was faster than he looked. By the time Michaela walked to the top of the stairs she had lost him. Which way was it to the Egyptian exhibit? Shouldn't be that hard to find.

This museum wasn't as big as the Smithsonian, but she still got lost. She had to ask one of the exhibits for directions. Eventually, Michaela found her way to the Egyptian part. She hesitated on going in. Michaela needed to know of Ahkmenrah hated her for what she had done, but at the same time she didn't want to know the answer.

Taking a deep breath, she walked in. She didn't get very far when two giant Anubis' blocked her path with spears. Michaela shrieked as she stepped back.

Ahkmenrah turned. He said something in Egyptian and the Anubis' lift their spears.

"Sorry about that." Ahkmenrah said. "They can be a bit protective."

Michaela nodded. "It's all right."

"You can come in." Ahkmenrah said when Michaela hadn't moved from her spot.

"Are you sure they aren't going to spear me?"

"Yes. I told them not to hurt you and that you are a friend of Larry's."

Michaela took a cautious step forward as she kept her eyes on the Anubis'. When she realized they weren't going to stop her she walked all the way in the room.

She turned her attention back to Ahkmenrah. "Listen, I know you must hate me for what I did to your brother. I'm sure Larry told you all about that. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. Kahmunrah would have hurt me and the others if I didn't do anything. I don't know your exact relationship with him. I assume you weren't close, but he was still your brother so I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I hate you. I don't. I understand what you had to do."

"You don't…hate me? Then why did you leave when I introduced myself?"

Ahkmenrah was silent, looking as if he was debating on telling her. Finally, he shook his head. "Just a lot on my mind."

Michaela wanted to ask what, but didn't question it. They didn't know each other so he may not feel comfortable talking to her. Maybe Larry would know what's bothering him.

Michaela noticed the tablet and walked up to it. Strange how everything that's happened was because of that tablet. She may have been terrified when the museum came to life and she was sure she was going to die, but she was grateful it happened.

"Kahmunrah wasn't that bad." Michaela said, still looking at the tablet. "I mean, he may have threatened everyone and was going to take over the world, but aside from that he wasn't bad." Michaela then thought about what she said. She looked at Ahkmenrah. "I just realized how that sounded. Probably shouldn't say he wanted to take over the world and then say he wasn't bad in the same sentence."

"I know what you mean. Kahmunrah did have his good moments. He hated that he was passed over for the throne."

Michaela nodded. She opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. She wanted to ask how he died. Realizing that it was a bit personal and they had just met, she didn't think Ahkmenrah would share.

"So, now that I know you don't hate me how about we start our introductions over? Hi, I'm Michaela." Michaela held out her hand.

Ahkmenrah smiled as he took his hand. "Nice to meet you, Michaela. I am Ahkmenrah."

Michaela smiled back. "Good to know you can smile."

"Shall we head back to the others?"

"That might be a good idea. Jed is probably having thoughts about us."

"Why?"

Michaela felt her cheeks turn red. "Um…Uh…no…no - no reason." Michaela gave a nervous laugh. She then cleared her throat. "Um, let's go."

Ahkmenrah just stared after her with confusion. He then followed her.

It was a bit awkward walking back to the lobby. Michaela was sure her face was still red, and Ahkmenrah would occasionally glance at her. Michaela was relieved once they got to the lobby.

"And just where have you been?" Jed asked.

"I was talking with Ahkmenrah."

"Talking about what?"

"Just about what happened with his brother." Jed eyed her. "I swear, that's it."

"Leave her alone, Jedidiah." Octavius said. "She's a grown woman and can look after herself."

"Oh, you didn't see the trouble she caused. Gotta keep my eye on this one."

"What do you mean the trouble I caused? If I remember correctly we all caused the trouble. Well, Kahmunrah and his goons more so, but still."

"I was locked in an hourglass most of the time. I wasn't causing trouble."

"You may have been in an hourglass, but you were riling up Kahmunrah pretty good."

"Now that's something I would have liked to see." Ahkmenrah said.

Michaela wasn't aware that he was listening.

"Anyway, let's change the subject." Michaela said.

The rest of the night was spent just hanging out and talking. Michaela enjoyed getting to know the other exhibits. She was surprised when she found out that Teddy and Sacagawea were a couple. Exhibits needed love in their life too, she supposed.

Morning soon came and all the exhibits went back to their respective places. As Michaela, Larry, and Nick were walking out the museum, Larry asked her how the night was.

"It was great now that I know Ahkmenrah doesn't hate me."

"I told you he didn't."

"Yeah, I just had to find out for myself. Oh hey, Larry. What's going on with Ahkmenrah? When I first introduced myself he walked away."

"I'm not sure. He can be secretive sometimes."

Michaela just nodded.

Larry and Nick went home while Michaela headed back to her dorm. She was glad she didn't have to start school for another day.

As she curled up in her bed she thought about everything that has happened and what will happen. She had a feeling that this year will be interesting for sure.


	3. Chapter 3

"Turn left. Left, left, left." Michaela said as she leaned to the left.

"Go ahead and keep running into walls." Nick said. "I don't mind."

"Of course you don't. Oh, right." Michaela leaned to the right.

"I don't think leaning helps any." Larry said.

"Shut up. Yes, it does."

Larry shook his head.

Michaela and Nick had been playing video games for the last few hours. Mario Kart was the latest in the video game line. For reasons Larry couldn't understand, Michaela would always lean whichever way she wanted her driver to go. Nick did the same.

"I see the finish line. I am so going to win this one." Michaela said.

"That's what you think." Nick said.

Just as Michaela was inches from the finish line a blue shell came out of nowhere, hitting her character. Nick's character passed her, crossing the finishing line.

"Yes!"

"Stupid blue shell." Michaela pouted.

"Hey guys, lunch is ready." Larry said.

"Next time I will win." Michaela said as she stood up.

"Dream on." Nick said.

"I call rematch after lunch."

"That rematch is going to have to wait." Larry said. "I have to get Nick back to his mom's after lunch."

"Fine, rematch next time we see each other."

"Can't wait." Nick said.

After lunch, Larry took Nick to his mom's while Michaela went to her dorm. She told Larry she would meet him at the museum at sunset.

When Michaela arrived at her dorm she noticed her roommate was not there, which she was thankful for. Things were a bit awkward between them, mainly because Candace wasn't much of a talker. Michaela was sure she would get used to a non-talking roommate eventually.

Tomorrow was Michaela's first day of college and she couldn't be more excited. She made sure she had everything she was going to need. Her first class didn't start until eleven so that gave her some time to sleep in. she probably shouldn't be at the museum until the early morning. Falling asleep on the first day would not look good.

Once it was getting close to sundown, Michaela made her way to the museum. She got there about fifteen minutes after the sun had gone down.

"Hey, Teddy." Michaela said when she walked in. "Where's Larry?"

"Good to see you again, Michaela." Teddy said. "I believe he is in the new exhibit room getting things ready."

"New exhibit? Oh yeah, the museum is getting a pirate's exhibit."

"Yes. I do hope they aren't as horrible as stories make them out to be."

"I hope that too." Michaela then walked off. She walked up the stairs and down a hallway before she realized she had no idea where she was going. Glancing around, she tried to find someone she could ask for directions. It wasn't long before she found Ahkmenrah.

"Hey, Ahkmenrah."

Ahkmenrah turned and when he saw Michaela his eyes widened as he took a step back like he was about to turn and walk away. After a second he took a deep breath.

"Michaela, it is good to see you."

Michaela raised an eyebrow, but didn't question his odd behavior. "Um, I'm trying to find the new exhibit. Teddy said that's where Larry is. Can you point me in that direction?"

"Sure, I can take you there."

"Thanks."

As they were walking, Michaela tried to think of something to talk about. Ahkmenrah said he didn't hate her, but Michaela couldn't help feeling he didn't like her very much. The smile he had given her seemed forced. Or maybe she was just overthinking things.

"So…you excited about the pirate exhibit?" Michaela finally asked.

"As long as they don't destroy the museum I think they will be a welcomed exhibit."

Michaela nodded.

And they were back to silence.

Luckily the silence didn't last. They soon arrived at the new exhibit room. Larry was standing in the middle of the room, staring at one of the walls.

"What's with the serious look?" Michaela asked.

Larry turned to her. "Oh hey, Michaela. Just trying to figure out where the pirates will go."

"Maybe I can help."

"I'll leave you to it." Ahkmenrah said. He then left.

Michaela watched him go. There was no mistaking it. He really didn't like her. Maybe she shouldn't try to push being his friend. Maybe he really did resent her for what she had done to his brother.

"Michaela?"

"What?" Michaela turned towards Larry.

"You ok?"

"Yeah. Fine. So when are the pirates coming?"

"Friday. McPhee asked me to get this room ready, but I don't know exactly what and how many were are getting."

Michaela glanced around the room. There were three stands, each a different height. There were also a few glass cases.

"Well, we could always just place the stands against that wall." Michaela said as she pointed to the far wall. "It's the first thing people will see when they come in. We could put two of the glass cases on that wall, and the other two on that wall."

"We?"

"I was going to help, but if you want to do it by yourself…"

"No. I'd appreciate the help."

It took them almost an hour to get things where they wanted. They would have been done sooner than that, but the Huns decided to try to help. What happened was the Huns just moving the stands around the room. One of them almost knocked one of the glass cases down; Michaela was able to save it before it fell.

Larry was finally able to get the Huns to leave and he and Michaela were able to finish setting up.

"You know, McPhee was talking about hiring another person for the night shift." Larry said. "If you're interested I could put in a good word for you. And I would feel better having someone who knows and has seen the museum come to life than trying to explain it to a stranger."

Michaela smiled. "I would love that. I was thinking of getting a job. Money is a bit important to survive."

"Just a bit. All right, I'll talk to him and hopefully set up an interview. Besides, you'll probably be here almost every night anyway. Might as well get paid for it."

"Thanks, Larry."

As the two of them made their way back to the lobby, Larry was telling Michaela about the new thing the museum was trying. Every other Saturday the museum would be open late to allow guests to experience the museum in a new way.

"Not a lot of people were coming to the museum so I thought if we did this we would get more people." Larry explained. "It's only every other Saturday to see how it goes. If it's a success, we might do it every Saturday. Or maybe every Friday and Saturday."

"Wow. That's an interesting idea. And all the exhibits like the idea?"

"Yeah. They were happy to do it."

When Michaela and Larry arrived back in the lobby they saw some of the exhibits were setting up for a soccer match. It was nice to see all the exhibits getting along unlike at the Smithsonian. Well…for the most part the exhibits at the Smithsonian were friendly. It was only a select few who wanted to cause problems.

"Hey Michaela, we're starting a game off soccer. Want to play?" Sacagawea asked when Michaela walked up.

"Sure."

"Are you any good?" Jed asked.

Michaela glanced at him. She then turned toward Teddy who was holding the soccer ball. She held out her hands; Teddy threw the ball to her. Michaela bounced the ball from one knee to the other. She then bounced it from her foot back to her knee. After a bit more of bouncing the ball she caught it.

"I take that as a yes." Octavius said.

"Did I ever mention that I was on a soccer team in high school?" Michaela said.

"Never came up." Jed said.

The teams were soon set. Michaela had asked Ahkmenrah to play, but he declined saying that he would just watch. Sacagawea was sure her team would win since Michaela was on her team and Michaela was a pro. Michaela said she was no pro. It had been a while since she last played so Michaela hoped she wasn't rusty.

A little bit into the game Michaela found that she retained many of her skills. It was interesting to play since the lobby was smaller than a soccer field, but they made it work. At one point Michaela forgot about the small room they were playing in and hit the ball a little harder then she had meant to. The ball went sailing towards the window. Luckily, it hit the wall instead.

"You got lucky, girl." Jed hollered.

"Please don't break anything." Larry said. "I can't explain another incident to McPhee."

The game was coming to an end and Michaela's team was in the lead. Michaela had the ball as she made her way to the other team's goal. One of the exhibits came toward her. Michaela glanced over and saw Sacagawea open; she kicked the ball over.

Sacagawea was soon blocked by Teddy. She faked right, making Teddy go right. Sacagawea smirked as she continued toward the goal. Once close, she kicked the ball and made it in the goal.

Sacagawea turned toward Teddy. "Sorry, Teddy."

"It's all right. It was a good game."

"That was fun." Michaela said. "Well, I should probably head back to my dorm. I start school tomorrow."

"Good luck with that." Sacagawea said.

"Thanks."

Once Michaela said her good-byes, she left the museum. Michaela had noticed that Ahkmenrah made it a point to say good-bye to her. She had seen him and Jed talking shortly before. Had Jed seen Ahkmenrah avoiding her?

Michaela smiled. Jed was always trying to look out for her in some way.

By the time Michaela arrived back at her dorm it was almost midnight. She quickly changed into pajamas and lied in bed. She was excited about starting classes and she hoped she would do fine.


	4. Chapter 4

Today was the day Michaela had been looking forward to. Before, she had little interest in attending college. She always hated when her mother brought out the college brochures. It was interesting how an experience can change your outlook on life. Of course, when faced with a life or death situation it was hard not to think about your life.

Michaela was actually looking forward to the day. That was, until she realized what class she had first: math. She wasn't going to need math as a historian, was she? Well, on the bright side it was her first class so she could just get that out of the way and enjoy some fun classes the rest of the day.

Even though Michaela didn't like math much she was still looking forward to her class. Once she had gotten ready for the day she did one last check to make sure she didn't forget anything. She then headed towards the door. As she reached her hand out to the doorknob, the door opened. Standing on the other side was Candace, her bathroom caddy in hand.

"Oh, sorry." Michaela said as she stepped out of the way, allowing Candace to walk in the room.

Michaela went to shut the door, but Candace called her name. Michaela glanced back.

"I'm sorry I've been a bit unfriendly. I had some…family drama before I came here. So, I'm hoping we can start over."

Candace looked down as if she was expecting Michaela to yell or something.

Michaela smiled. "Of course we can start over." She held out her hand. "I'm Michaela."

Candace looked at her with a smile of her own as she shook Michaela's hand. "I'm Candace. Nice to meet you."

"I hope we both have a good year together. Now, I have to get to class. Bye." Michaela shut the door and headed to her math class. Maybe having Candace for a roommate won't be so bad after all.

Walking into class, Michaela had a flashback of high school. Not that high school was bad. It was just that first step into the classroom; her heart pounding, hoping she wouldn't make a fool out of herself. Michaela took a seat in the back and prepared herself for her first class.

"I don't understand why we need to take classes that have nothing to do with our major." The girl next to Michaela said.

"I was just asking myself that same thing this morning." Michaela said. "Wouldn't it be more beneficial to us to take classes that focus on what we are going to do with our lives?"

"I would think, but I guess colleges don't see it that way. I'm Amy by the way."

"Michaela."

"So, what are you majoring in?"

"History. You?"

"Theater."

Class soon started. Math was never Michaela's favorite subject so she tried her hardest to pay attention. Luckily, with it being the first day they didn't do much. They just went over the syllabus. They did go over a few problems but not many. The teacher told them to expect more work next class.

The rest of her classes were about the same. They went over what they would be doing for the semester, and started working a little bit from the first chapter.

History 101 was the class Michaela was most looking forward to. It was her last class of the day. It started out like the others; going over what to expect. After that was out of the way they went around the room saying a few things about themselves. A few people were saying why they chose their major. Michaela couldn't say she chose to be a historian because the museum she was working at came to life and sparked her interest in history. Instead, she just said she always had a fascination with history and enjoyed learning about the past.

Michaela walked back to her dorm room, feeling like the first day had gone well. She was excited for this semester.

"I told you before, I'm not going." Candace was saying as Michaela walked in.

Michaela set her stuff on her bed as she debated whether she should leave. She didn't want to intrude on a private conversation.

"I don't want to be a part of that." Candace looked up and noticed Michaela. "I have to get to class." Candace then hung up.

"Um, I didn't mean to overhear." Michaela said.

"It's fine. My mom is just trying to convince me to go to this thing."

"Yeah, moms will do that."

"Anyway, I really do have to get to class so I'll see you later."

"Bye."

It was only a few hours until sunset so Michaela decided to make her way to the museum. None of the teachers had given out homework so she was going to take advantage of that while she could. Instead of taking the bus or a taxi Michaela decided to walk. It would give her a chance to see what was around here.

There were so many interesting things to see and places to go. She would have to keep a list of all the places she wanted to see.

It wasn't until thirty minutes of walking that Michaela realized she was going in the wrong direction. She had to ask someone for directions. Maybe walking in a new city wasn't the best idea. Michaela finally arrived at the museum about an hour after sunset.

"Hey Michaela, I was wondering if you were coming or not." Larry said when he saw her.

"Well, I would have been here sooner but I sort of got lost."

"Easy to do in a new city."

"Yep. I'm gonna need a tour guide."

"Nick said he's planning stuff for us to do."

Michaela smiled. "Can't wait." Michaela glanced around. "So…where's Ahkmenrah?"

"He should be around here somewhere."

Michaela nodded. She then walked off with Larry watching her with confusion.

* * *

Ahkmenrah wandered the museum with much on his mind. Jed had talked to him about the way he was treating Michaela. He didn't mean to treat her poorly. It was just hard for him. No one would understand.

As Jed was scolding him, Ahkmenrah couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face. For spending a short time together Jed and Michaela had formed a strong friendship. When Jed noticed the smile he said, "Don't you smile while I'm trying to scold you." That only made Ahkmenrah smile more.

He knew he had to treat Michaela better. It wasn't her fault after all. Still, the resemblance…

"Ahkmenrah, I'm so glad I found you."

Ahkmenrah looked up and saw Michaela running toward him; she looked frantic.

"The Huns are messing up one of the exhibit rooms. You're the only one who speaks Hun to get them to stop."

The pharaoh sighed. Those Huns were always up to no good. He nodded as he told Michaela to lead the way.

When Michaela led him to the room he was overcome with confusion. The Huns weren't in this room and everything was still in its place.

The sound of a door shutting and locking made him turn around. Michaela was standing in front of the door with a determined look.

"What are you doing?" Ahkmenrah asked.

"I want answers. If locking you in a room is the only way I'm going to get those answers then so be it."

Ahkmenrah stared at her. It was no wonder she and Jed became fast friends.

"If you hate me for what I did to your brother then just say so. Don't say you aren't mad at me and then ignore me."

"I meant what I said. I don't hate you for what you did to my brother."

"Then what is it?"

Those eyes. They had the same fire behind them. Well, he couldn't ignore it forever.

"The reason I have been ignoring you is because you remind me of someone I used to know. A very…good friend."

Michaela's eyes softened. "Your brother never mentioned I reminded him of someone."

"No, he wouldn't. My brother didn't know about her."

Michaela raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. "I'm sorry I remind you of your friend, but you're going to have to get over it. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I just mean that I'm going to be coming to the museum a lot and I don't want things to be awkward between us. I hope we can be friends."

"I am sorry for the way I have treated you. I promise I will do better. I won't ignore you." No matter how painful it is to look at you, he added to himself.

"Good. Well, now that that's out of the way." Michaela turned and unlocked the door. "You are free to go."

Ahkmenrah smiled. "I can see how my brother fell for you."

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing. You just know how to get what you want."

Michaela shrugged. "It's a talent."

As the two of them were walking back to the lobby, Ahkmenrah thought about how much Michaela and Kiya looked so much alike. Kiya had been his best friend and he missed her greatly. He would have to keep reminding himself that Michaela was not Kiya.

* * *

"Michaela, where did you go?" Larry asked when she and Ahkmenrah walked into the Lobby.

"I had to talk to Ahkmenrah. We sorted things out."

Larry looked from Michaela, to Ahkmenrah, back to Michaela. "Um…well, that's good. Anyway Michaela, I wanted to tell you that McPhee would like to interview you."

Michaela smiled. "Really? I hope I impress him enough to hire me."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. He wants to interview you tomorrow at ten."

"That will work. Tomorrow I don't have class until one."

"Great. I'll let him know you'll be here."

Michaela stayed for a few more hours. She talked to Jed and told him about her conversation with Ahkmenrah. Jed was glad to hear that the pharaoh wouldn't be ignoring her anymore. If he did, Jed said he would have to have another talk with him. Michaela just shook her head.

When Michaela was ready to leave, she called a taxi. She definitely wasn't going to walk back to her dorm at night in a city she wasn't used to yet. Larry felt better with her taking a taxi as well.

Once Michaela was back in her dorm and ready for bed, she tried to sleep. It didn't come. What Ahkmenrah said was keeping her up. He said she reminded him of a friend of his. Michaela got the feeling that he and this friend were very close.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep for a while, Michaela grabbed her laptop and searched for information on Ahkmenrah. She found some interesting things about his life, but like with all history there were some things missing. There wasn't much information about him from when he was about eleven to thirteen.

Michaela wasn't sure how long she was up researching about Ahkmenrah's life. When she finally looked at the time she was surprised since it didn't feel like it was that late…or early depending on how you look at it. She decided to put up her laptop and finally go to sleep about two in the morning.

She went to bed without finding anything about Ahkmenrah's friend. The only people that were mentioned were his parents, brother, tutors and the like. There was a mention of Ahkmenrah's wife-to-be, but Michaela was sure she didn't remind him of her. Ahkmenrah had said Kahmunrah didn't know about this friend and a future wife was sure to be known by people. Michaela wanted to ask, but she didn't want to pry. Maybe one day Ahkmenrah would tell her more. Until then she would just have to wonder.

* * *

 **Thanks to my reviewers. It means a lot.**

 **TeddyXSac Love: I am planning more Teddy and Sacajawea moments. They are just so cute together.**

 **DiamondAndPearlStories: I'm glad you enjoyed the last story and that you are enjoying this one. I promise not to disappoint. ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

Michaela was standing outside the museum, preparing for her interview. She was excited and hoped she would get the job. A thought soon hit her. What if McPhee called the Smithsonian? It was then that Michaela realized that what had happened at her last job might affect her getting future jobs. What happened there was major and if potential employers called her previous job…

Michaela groaned, wondering if she had screwed up her chances for any kind of job. Taking a deep breath, she walked inside. She told the person at the desk she was there for an interview. The person went to get McPhee so now all she had to do was wait.

It didn't take long and before Michaela knew it she was sitting in McPhee's office. Michaela could feel her heart pounding against her chest. She took a few deep breaths to try and calm down.

McPhee, who had been looking at Michaela's resume, looked up at her. "So, tell me a little about yourself. A resume is nice, but it doesn't tell me who you are as a person."

"Oh, well, I'm attending a local college to become a historian so I think that would make me a great asset to the museum. I don't want to use the cliché, but I am a hard worker. I also get along well with others."

"Are you're classes more during the day or evening?"

"Day."

"You wouldn't have a problem working nights and then going to school in the morning?"

"Nope. No problem."

"And why do you want to work here?"

 _Because the museum comes to life at night and the exhibits are my friends._ Michaela thought. "Well, this is a wonderful museum with lots of exhibits. Larry is a friend and he enjoys it so I know I would too."

"Yes, Larry did speak highly of you. And he did mention you worked at the Smithsonian. I did call over there for a reference.

 _Crap._

"They told me an interesting story about how the museum was destroyed while you were knocked out by some thieves."

"Technically, only part of the museum was destroyed. And it was just a wall really."

McPhee gave her a look and Michaela realized that probably wasn't helping her.

"I know that looks bad on me, but I promise it won't happen again. Or to your museum. I really do have respect for the exhibits."

For a while McPhee didn't say anything, he just looked at Michaela. She was sure he wouldn't hire her and she didn't blame him. She never did believe her own story about how the museum got destroyed, but what was she supposed to say?

Finally, McPhee sighed. "I'm going to take a chance and give you the job."

Michaela smiled. "Really? Thank you so much."

"Give me a copy of your school schedule as soon as you can and we'll go from there."

Michaela nodded. "Will do. Thanks again."

Michaela shook McPhee's hand and then left the office, happy that she was able to get the job. She pulled out her phone and dialed Larry's number to tell him the good news.

"I hope I didn't just doom the museum putting those two together." McPhee said once Michaela left.

Michaela was in a good mood for the rest of the day. The interview had gone better than how she thought it would go, and her classes went rather well. She didn't receive any homework in one of her classes, but she did in her second one. She had about an hour before her next class so she grabbed a snack, sat at one of the tables outside, and began her homework.

So far it was pretty easy. Of course, that would probably change later in the semester. Michaela had taken Japanese in high school so taking it in college shouldn't be too bad. She did remember most of what she had learned.

She was almost done with the first page when something landed on the table, making her jump. Once she realized that a sack was on the table she glanced up to see Candace. Michaela looked in the bag to find an assortment of snacks. She looked back up at Candace.

"What's this?"

"A peace offering." Candace said as she sat down. "I feel bad for the way I treated you so I thought this would make up for it. Though, I wasn't sure what you liked so I got a bit of everything."

"Hmm…I don't know." Michaela said as she looked through the snacks. Her eyes soon landed on a bag of skittles. She pulled it out. "You have skittles, so I forgive you."

Candace smiled. "Good. I was worried for a bit."

Michaela smiled back, happy that she and Candace might actually become friends.

* * *

 _Ahkmenrah ran with a smile on his face. This was going to be great and he couldn't wait to see her reaction._

 _"Ahkmenrah, slow down."_

 _Ahkmenrah turned his head, but didn't slow down. "We can't, Kiya. If we do we're going to miss it. We're a_ _lmost there."_

 _The two of them ran for a bit longer before stopping on top of a hill. Kiya sat to catch her breath._

 _"Tell me again...why we had to come out here before light." Kiya said._

 _"You'll see." Ahkmenrah said as he sat next to her._

 _A comfortable silence fell between them. That's one of the things Ahkmenrah liked about Kiya. They didn't have to talk to enjoy each other's company. The silence between them never felt uncomfortable._

 _Kiya gasped as light began to creep up from the horizon; Ahkmenrah glanced at her. "I've seen the sunrise before, but I've never seen it from this view. It's beautiful."_

 _"Yes, you are. I mean, it is. The sunrise is beautiful." Ahkmenrah quickly looked at the sunrise. If Kiya noticed what he said she didn't show it. She continued staring at the sunrise._

 _"I wish this moment could last forever."_

 _Ahkmenrah looked over at her. "Kiya-"_

 _"Shh. Don't ruin the moment, Ahkmenrah." Kiya said without looking at him._

 _The two of them sat in silence once again as they watched the sunrise. Ahkmenrah didn't deny that he also wanted this moment to last forever. If only it were possible._

 _After a while Kiya said, "Well, we better head back before people realize you're missing." She made no motion to move, which didn't bother Ahkmenrah._

 _If they went back they would have to...well, circumstances would never allow them to be together. He was royalty and she wasn't. They have to live their lives and pretend they don't know each other. They have to pretend they aren't friends. And he had to pretend that he didn't..._

 _"All right, we really need to get back." Kiya said as she stood up._

 _Reluctantly, Ahkmenrah stood up. "I suppose you are right."_

 _"Of course I am. I am always right."_

 _"I just let you believe that."_

 _Kiya smiled. "Don't deny that truth, Ahkmenrah."_

 _As they headed back everything started to blur…then darkness._

Ahkmenrah sat up only to hit his head on the lid of his sarcophagus; he cursed in Egyptian. He then slid the lid open but didn't get out. He sat as he thought about Kiya. He hadn't dreamed about her in a long time.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there just thinking about the past. Deciding to finally join the others, he climbed out of his sarcophagus and made his way to the lobby. He was about halfway there when Sacagawea came around a corner.

"Hey Ahk, have you seen Teddy?" Sacagawea asked when she spotted him.

"No. He can't be too far. It's not that big of a museum."

Sacagawea nodded. "I just feel like he is avoiding me."

"I'm sure he isn't."

At that moment Teddy and Michaela appeared. "It will work. I promise." Michaela was saying.

The two of them noticed Ahkmenrah and Sacagawea. "Oh, hello." Teddy said.

"What's going to work?" Sacagawea asked.

"Nothing." Michaela and Teddy said.

Sacagawea looked between the two of them.

"Well, that's not suspicious." Ahkmenrah said; Michaela gave him a look that said shut up.

"Maybe we should rejoin the others in the lobby." Michaela suggested.

Sacagawea stared at them for a bit longer before sighing and agreeing to head back. As soon as Sacagawea turned away Michaela whispered something to Teddy. Ahkmenrah looked at them with curiosity. What were they planning?

Michaela caught him staring and put her finger to her lips. "It's a secret." She smiled.

The three of them then followed Sacagawea to the lobby. Once there, Michaela walked over to Larry and started talking with him.

"She's gonna be working here, you know?"

Ahkmenrah glanced over at Jed who was standing on the lobby desk.

"Really? Well, I suppose if she's going to be here every night she might as well get paid for it."

It wasn't long after that Michaela announced she was heading back to her dorm. Tomorrow when she came back she would be working as a night guard.

* * *

It had been quite a successful day. Michaela had gotten the job at the museum. She did bring McPhee her school schedule before the museum closed and they worked out her work schedule. She had finished most of her homework, and she and Candace are starting to be friends. All in all, not a bad day. She hadn't spoken with Ahkmenrah much so she wasn't sure if her talk last night with him did anything. He did say that he would be better and not ignore her. She still wondered about that friend she reminded him of. They must have been close.

Michaela soon arrived at her dorm room. As she entered, she tried to be quiet so as not to wake Candace. Michaela only took a couple of steps before she tripped over something. She grabbed the dresser for support and in doing so knocked something over.

The light turned on. "Who's that?"

"It's just me, Candace. I tried not to wake you." Michaela looked over at her dorm mate. "Uh, Candace, why do you have knife?"Michaela asked, noticing the knife Candace held. "Does the college even allow knives?"

"Sorry." Candace said as she put the knife on the nightstand.

"How have I not noticed that?" Michaela said more to herself than to Candace.

"My house got robbed once so ever since then I've slept with a knife nearby. Helps me feel safe."

"As long as you plan not to murder me you can keep the knife."

"I'll just wait until you're sleeping to make my move."

"Thanks, that will really help me sleep at night."

"The girl in the dorm across from us has sleeping pills. I'm sure she'll give you one if you ask."

"I'll pass on that, thanks."

Candace shrugged. "Well, I'm going back to bed. Try not to be so loud."

"Will do."

Michaela was able to get ready for bed without making too much noise. Tonight she didn't have much on her mind so she was able to fall asleep with no problem.


	6. Chapter 6

Starting her first of work really wasn't that much different than when Michaela would visit the museum. The only difference was now she had to clock in and out. She also now had a locker that she could put her things in, which would help with what she was planning.

As Michaela was walking into the museum she saw McPhee heading out.

"I'm hoping my museum will still be in one piece when I come in tomorrow morning, Michaela." McPhee said.

"I assure you nothing bad will happen tonight."

McPhee mumbled something that Michaela couldn't hear. He then bid her good night and left. Michaela had a feeling he was regretting hiring her. Well, she will just have to make sure to keep the museum intact and prove to him she could take care of the museum and the exhibits.

"Hey Michaela." Larry said when he saw her. "I think McPhee is having second thoughts about us working together. We both have a record of destroying museums."

"Correction: _you_ have a record of destroying museums. The Smithsonian was not my fault. I was innocent on that."

"Yeah, ok, I'll give you that."

Michaela smiled.

* * *

Sacagawea couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on. Teddy was acting strange. He didn't start acting this way until Michaela came. Could they be…no, that was silly. There had to be a logical explanation for it.

When she walked into the lobby she scanned the room for Teddy, but saw no sign of him. She didn't see Michaela either. Her eyes soon landed on Larry so she made her way to him.

"Larry."

Larry turned. "Hey, Sacagawea. What's up?"

"Have you seen Teddy?"

"I think he went off somewhere with Michaela."

He went off with Michaela? That didn't make the thought she had go away. What were they doing? Though Teddy didn't seem the type to stray.

"Larry, do you…do you think that Teddy and Michaela are together?"

"Well, they did go off together so I assume they are together." Sacagawea gave him a look and he realized what she meant. "Oh, that kind of together. No, of course not. What makes you think that?"

"Teddy has just been acting strange and it seems the two of them are spending a lot of time together."

"I'm sure it's nothing. He's too old for her anyway."

Sacagawea nodded. "You're probably right. I'm going to go find them." And with that she was off.

Larry might be right, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on. Michaela was also acting strange. What could they possibly be hiding? Well, one way or another she was going to find out.

There were so many thoughts going through her head and she tried not to dwell on them. Michaela didn't seem like the type to steal someone else's man. Then again, how much did she really know about Michaela anyway? At the Smithsonian Sacagawea spent most of her time locked up while Michaela was running around the museum. They had only spoken for a little bit. Maybe Michaela wasn't as nice as she seemed to be.

Sacagawea shook her head. No, Michaela was a good person. They may not have spent a lot of time together at the Smithsonian, but they had spent some time here and Michaela was a nice person.

Sacagawea was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard voices. She recognized the one speaking as Teddy.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Trust me." That was Michaela. "This is going to be great."

"I've just never done this before and I want everything to be perfect."

"Everything will be perfect. Tomorrow will be a night to remember."

She had heard enough. It was time to find out what was going on. She turned the corner. "Teddy, there you are."

Both Teddy and Michaela jumped when they saw Sacagawea; Michaela quickly hid something behind her back.

"What's going on?"

"On? Nothing is going on." Teddy said.

"Don't lie to me. I know something is going on and I want to know what."

"Uh…"

"It's nothing, Sacagawea." Michaela said. "Teddy was just helping me with something, but we're finished now so you two can talk." Michaela turned around, making sure that whatever was behind her back stayed out of Sacagawea's sight. Michaela then ran off.

Sacagawea scowled at Teddy. "Don't think that this conversation is over. I know you two are planning something." Sacagawea then walked off.

Teddy followed her. "I assure you we aren't planning anything bad."

"Ha! So you are planning something."

"No." Teddy answered a little too quickly. "We are just two friends hanging out."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

"Michaela is a friend and she is just helping me work through some stuff. It's nothing important."

Teddy went to grab her hand, but Sacagawea moved her hand before he could. "Don't talk to me until you're ready to tell me the truth." She then stormed off, leaving Teddy dejected.

* * *

Once Michaela put her stuff back in her locker she made her way to the lobby. She knew Sacagawea wasn't happy with either her or Teddy, but it would be worth it in the end. There was just one more thing Michaela had to get before tomorrow night. Things were going to be perfect.

"What has you so happy?"

Michaela stopped and looked over at Ahkmenrah. "Life. Life has me happy."

"That's…good." Ahkmenrah said, obviously not sure how to respond to that.

"So, what are you up to? Why are you standing here by yourself?"

"Just thinking. I seem to be doing that a lot lately."

Ahkmenrah got a distant look in his eyes. She had a feeling he was thinking of his mysterious friend that she resembled.

Michaela waved her hand in front of his face. "Hello? Ahkmenrah?"

Ahkmenrah blinked. "Yes?"

"Just thought I would bring you back to the present. I'm going to the lobby. Want to join me?"

"All right."

As the two of them were walking Michaela wondered why it was so hard to talk to Ahkmenrah. With the others she could strike up a conversation with no problem, but with him…nothing. She wasn't sure if she still felt guilt over what happened with Kahmunrah and didn't deserve to be friends with Ahkmenrah. Of course, it also didn't help that she reminded Ahkmenrah of someone from his past and that could be why he was being distant. One day they might overcome their awkward silences, but Michaela had a feeling it wouldn't be anytime soon.

Once the two of them walked into the lobby, Michaela noticed Teddy standing off to the side by himself. She turned to Ahkmenrah. "Excuse me for a minute."

Ahkmenrah nodded. Michaela then made her way to Teddy.

"Hey Teddy. Where's Sacagawea?"

Teddy turned to her. "She's mad at me for not telling her the truth on what we are doing. She doesn't want to talk to me at the moment. Are we doing the right thing? Maybe I should…" Teddy took a step, but Michaela grabbed his arm.

"Trust me, everything will be fine. I'll go talk to her."

Teddy just nodded.

Michaela wandered the museum until she found Sacagawea. She was sitting on a bench just staring at the ground.

"Is the floor that interesting?"

Sacagawea looked up. "Are you going to tell me the truth about what you and Teddy are doing?"

"Wow, you get straight to the point. Listen, Sacagawea, you don't have to worry."

"Why can't you tell me what you two are doing?"

"Uh…well…I just can't. I'm sorry."

Sacagawea stood up. "How can you expect me not to think anything is going on with you and Teddy especially when neither one of you will tell me what you are planning?"

"First of all, there is nothing going on with me and Teddy. He is way older than I am so that would just be gross. Second of all, there's this thing called trust. It's what friends do." Michaela then turned and walked away.

Michaela felt bad for lying to Sacagawea, but it's not like it was a bad lie. Everything will be made clear tomorrow and then Sacagawea would forgive them…probably.

When Michaela walked back to the lobby and told Teddy what happened he was determined to go to her and tell her everything. Once again Michaela stopped him, convincing him that everything would be fine and Sacagawea would forget she was ever mad at them. Teddy was hesitant, but eventually agreed with Michaela. Besides, he would only have to wait until tomorrow night and then everything would be made clear.

It wasn't long when Sacagawea appeared. Michaela was expecting her to demand the truth out of them again.

"I'm sorry for the way I have been acting." She said. "I trust you. Both of you." She smiled.

Michaela smiled back. "That's good. I wouldn't do anything to get between the two of you. You're so cute together."

Teddy blushed. "Um, thank you, Michaela."

Sacagawea giggled. "You're cute when you blush." That only made Teddy blush more.

"Huh. It's like the roles are reversed." Michaela said.

The rest of the night went by without any more arguing. When it was time for Michaela to leave she said her good-byes to everyone, but just as she was about to walk out the door Larry called her.

Michaela looked back. "Yes?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Michaela thought about it. "Um…oh! I have to clock out." Michaela rushed off to clock out while Larry just shook his head.

Once Michaela had clocked out she came back. "Now I am off. See you all tomorrow."

Tomorrow was going to be a good day. There was one more thing Michaela had to get before tomorrow night. Luckily she only had one class tomorrow so she would have plenty of time to get what she needed and be at the museum early. She couldn't wait to see Sacagawea's reaction.


	7. Chapter 7

Today was the day and Michaela was excited to put her plan in to action. After her class she went to the store to pick up the last thing she needed for tonight. She still had some time before she had to be at the museum so she sat in her dorm doing some homework…or at least tried to. She kept going over everything in her head, making sure she had everything for tonight and she wasn't forgetting anything.

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not going?" Candace said as she came into the room, making Michaela jump. "No, I won't change my mind." She then hung up the phone.

"Your mom still trying to get you to go to that thing?"

"Yeah." Candace sighed as she sat on her bed.

"Why don't you just go? Are your parents that bad to be around?"

"No, I actually like my parents, believe it or not. It's just…" Candace shook her head. "Never mind."

"Well, if you ever want to talk I'll listen."

Candace smiled. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Michaela glanced at the clock. "Oh, time for me to get ready for work."

"I never did ask, where do you work?"

Michaela took her night guard uniform out of her dresser and held it up. "I'm a night guard at the museum."

"Interesting. I heard they are getting a new pirate exhibit."

"Yep. The exhibit comes tomorrow and I have to be there early to help get things ready. Larry said that a family is actually donating the exhibit."

"Really? That's nice of them."

Michaela glanced over. "What's that look for?"

"Huh? What look?"

"You just look like you are deep in thought."

"Just thinking about the thing my parents want me to go to. It might not be as bad as I think."

"What exactly do they want you to go to?"

Candace just smiled. "I have a phone call to make." She then stood up and walked out of the room.

Michaela just shook her head. Candace was a strange one. Michaela then stuffed everything that she needed in her backpack and left for the museum.

Once she arrived at the museum, Michaela made her way to the back room where her locker was. After changing into her uniform, she double checked that she had everything she needed. There was just one thing she was missing.

"Hey, Michaela."

Michaela turned to see Larry. "Hey, Larry."

Larry held up a stereo. "I remembered this for you."

Michaela smiled. "Thanks. This was the one thing I didn't bring from home."

"I think you are having way too much fun planning this."

Michaela shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a romantic at heart."

Larry just shook his head.

"Well, I need to go set this up before everyone wakes up." Michaela grabbed her things and started walking out the door.

"Oh Michaela, the floors were waxed today so be careful."

"Will do." She then made her way up to the roof. This was going to be a night to remember.

* * *

When Teddy woke, he was greeted by a smiling Michaela. He dismounted his horse. "Is everything ready?"

Michaela nodded. "Yep. Go get her and bring her up to the roof. I'll meet you up there." Michaela took off running. She didn't even make it to the stairs before she went sliding. She held out her arms to balance herself. When she regained her balance she continued on her way. "Larry wasn't kidding about the floors."

Teddy just shook his head. He then began walking to get Sacagawea. He didn't know why he was so nervous for tonight. Maybe it was because they really haven't done this sort of thing. Michaela had said that women love it when men do romantic things for them. He hoped she was right.

It wasn't long when Teddy spotted Sacagawea. "I was just coming to find you."

"Well, now you found me. Is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine. I just need you to come see something."

Teddy took her by the hand and began leading her to the roof.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Teddy turned to the stairwell that led up to the roof.

"Why are we going up to the roof?"

Teddy said nothing as they continued to walk up the stairs. Sacagawea knew that Teddy wasn't going to answer her, but that didn't stop her from pestering him.

Finally, the two of them reached the top. Teddy opened the door. Sacagawea stepped out onto the roof and her eyes widened. In the center of the roof was a table beautifully decorated with food, drinks, and two lit candles. From the doorway to the table was a trail of rose petals.

"Teddy, it's beautiful." Sacagawea said as she walked closer to the table.

"The food is just wax since we really don't eat, but Michaela thought it would still look nice."

"Michaela? So, this is what you two were up to."

"Maybe you learned your lesson on being suspicious of us." Michaela said.

Sacagawea glanced over a Michaela who was standing by another table. That one only had a stereo.

"I'm sorry I ever suspected you two of anything. I did learn my lesson."

Michaela smiled. "Good." She then pressed the play button on the stereo; soft, romantic music began to play. "I'll leave you two alone now."

Michaela then left.

"I realized we never have any alone time so I asked Michaela to help me plan something. She's a good kid."

"Yes, she is. So, what did you have in mind since we can't eat the food?"

Teddy held out his hand. "To start, I thought we might dance."

Sacagawea smiled as she put her hand in his. "I would be honored."

* * *

Michaela walked down the stairs, humming as she went. It was nice seeing the smile on Sacagawea's face. It made everything worth it, even being accused of having a relationship with Teddy. Thinking back on that now it just made Michaela laugh.

Michaela opened the door to get back inside the museum. As soon as she opened the door she felt the door make contact with something and someone go, "Ow."

Michaela quickly looked behind the door and saw Ahkmenrah rubbing his forehead. "Ahkmenrah, I am so sorry. I really didn't mean to hit you with the door. Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Ahkmenrah looked at Michaela. "Did you just come from the roof?"

"Yes."

"What were you doing up there?"

"I was planning a romantic night for Sacagawea and Teddy. They're up there now."

"That was nice of you."

Michaela shrugged. "Happy to help friends out. Teddy wanted to do something nice for her. Were you going to the lobby?"

"Yes."

"Mind if I walk with you?"

"Of course I mind. I mean I-I don't mind. Uh, you can walk with me."

Michaela smiled. The two of them then started walking toward the lobby.

"There is something I have been meaning to ask you." Ahkmenrah said.

Michaela glanced at him. "What's that?"

Ahkmenrah was silent for a moment. Michaela waited.

He stopped and looked at her, making Michaela stop as well. "Did-"

"Look out!"

Both Michaela and Ahkmenrah glanced over and saw Jed coming their way in a car. The two of them quickly stepped out of the way as the car came racing by them. Jed turned a corner. There was a crash followed by an, "Ow."

"I should go see if he's all right." Michaela said as she took a step in the direction Jed had gone. She then stopped and looked back at Ahkmenrah. "Oh, you wanted to ask me something. What was it?"

Ahkmenrah shook his head. "It's not important. It can wait."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Michaela took off toward Jed. When she rounded the corner, she saw Jed and Octavius standing by the small car, arguing.

"You should have let me drive." Octavius said.

"It wasn't my driving skills that made us crash." Jed said.

"Really? Then why did we just run into a wall?"

"The steering is off."

"Or maybe you are just a bad driver."

Before the fight escalated any more, Michaela went and sat next to them. "All right, don't make me separate you two."

"We wouldn't be arguing if someone didn't crash into the wall." Octavius said.

"It wasn't my fault. I told you the steering is off."

"A likely excuse."

"Guys, it was an accident. I'm sure Jed didn't crash on purpose." Michaela said.

"Of course I didn't."

"This reminds me of something that happened to me and a friend. She was driving. We were just talking about what we were going to do that weekend. It had been snowing and there was ice on the road. We slid into a ditch. We were both fine, just a bit banged up. But I knew it wasn't her fault for driving us into a ditch. She tried her best to keep us on the road. I didn't blame her. While we waited for the tow truck we had a snowball fight."

"That is totally different." Octavius said. "There was ice on the road. Ice is slippery."

"So is wax."

Both Jed and Octavius looked at her.

"Larry told me the cleaning crew waxed the floors earlier."

"The floor was waxed? Well…I guess that could explain some things." Octavius said. He looked over at Jed. "Which would mean I owe you an apology."

Jed was silent.

"Jed, do you accept his apology?"

Jedidiah sighed. "All right, fine. I accept."

Michaela smiled. "Good."

Jed then looked at Michaela. "So, what was the point of your story? Couldn't you have just said the floor was waxed to begin with?"

"I could have, but then you wouldn't have heard the lesson of the story."

"Which was?" Octavius asked.

"Somethings are out of your control, but just because bad things happen doesn't mean everything has to be doom and gloom. There can still be fun, especially when you have friends by your side."

"Wow. You really should be a writer for fortune cookies." Jed said.

"How did you become so wise?" Octavius asked.

Michaela laughed. "I wouldn't say I'm wise. I've just gone through things that helped me shape what I think. Also, my parents have some good advice. Not that I will ever admit, of course."

Ahkmenrah had been standing by the corner, listening in with a small smile. He then turned and continued on to the lobby.

* * *

Teddy and Sacagawea sat at the table as they stared out into the city. Dancing had gone well. That was, until Sacagawea tripped and fell to the ground. Teddy tried to catch her, but was unable to get his balance and fell on top of her. Teddy was stuttering an apology. Sacagawea just smiled, then kissed him. Teddy helped her up and they took a walk around the roof. It may not have been much or very romantic, but Sacagawea was fine with their little walk.

"I still feel a bit foolish for thinking there was ever anything between you and Michaela." Sacagawea said.

"No need to feel foolish. We were acting a bit suspicious. You are cute when you're jealous, though."

Sacagawea raised an eyebrow. "Am I really? Well, don't go making me jealous all the time."

"Of course not."

"Thank you again for this. It was really sweet."

"You're welcome."

"Well, shall we go inside? We've been out here for a few hours."

"If that is what you would like."

Sacagawea stood up. "Should we clean this up?"

"Michaela said she would take care of it."

"She does too much."

"Have you tried talking her out of something? It's impossible to change her mind once its set."

Sacagawea chuckled. "I can believe that."

Teddy held out his hand, which Sacagawea took, and then the two of them headed inside.

When the two of them arrived in the lobby they made their way to Michaela, who had a big smile on her face.

"So, how was everything?" She asked.

"Everything was wonderful." Sacagawea said as she gave Michaela a hug. "Thank you."

"Happy to be of service. I'll just go clean up before I forget about it."

"I'll help."

"No, it's all right. I don't mind doing it myself." Michaela then walked off.

"That girl is impossible sometimes."

As Michaela was cleaning up, she thought about how happy Sacagawea looked when she saw everything that Teddy had done for her…with some help. She was still young and had plenty of time to find someone, but she hoped she would find someone who was as sweet as Teddy.

The door opened, making Michaela jump. She quickly turned around with an apple in her hand.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Ahkmenrah said. "Are you going to throw that apple at me?"

Michaela looked at the apple in her hand, then put it down. "No. What's up?"

"I…Well, I saw you come up here so…"

Michaela couldn't help but smile. He was kind of cute when he seemed unsure. It was then she remembered. "Right, you had a question for me."

"Yes. Question. Um…did my brother ever mention me?"

Michaela raised an eyebrow. "Not really. He did mention that your parents gave you the throne instead of him. That's about it."

"Oh, ok." Ahkmenrah turned to leave.

"Wait. Why the curiosity about your brother?"

Ahkmenrah stood with his hand on the door knob. Michaela thought he would just leave without answering. He surprised her when he turned to look at her.

"Kahmunrah and I were close once. When I was younger I looked up to him, wanted to be just like him. I'm not sure what changed in him, but he grew distant. My parents saw darkness in him. I wish I knew what happened make him crave power. I always held out hope that he would return to the brother I once knew."

"Ahkmenrah, I'm sorry. I wish I could say that he mentioned you at least in a good way."

"It's all right. I never expected him to change. Do you have any siblings?"

Michaela nodded. "A younger sister. She's a pain sometimes, but I still love her."

"That's good. Never lose that." Ahkmenrah stood as he seemed to be debating about something. Finally he said, "I'll help you clean up."

"You don't have to."

"I know, but I want to."

As the two of them cleaned up, Michaela felt a little closer to Ahkmenrah. He had opened up to her without having to be locked in a room. That was progress. Maybe they would eventually get over their awkward silences. Michaela smiled at the thought that maybe they were becoming actual friends.

"What are you smiling about?" Ahkmenrah asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking of something."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Just something I'm deciding on. I'll let you know when I come to a conclusion."

Ahkmenrah smiled. "I look forward to hearing it."

Yes, she could definitely see them becoming closer as friends.


	8. Chapter 8

Today was finally the day that the museum was getting the new pirate exhibit. Michaela was excited. She didn't have any classes today so she was able to get some of her homework done. She then made her way over to the museum to help get ready for the new exhibit. When she got to the museum she found Larry in the new exhibit room getting things ready.

"Hey, Larry." Michaela said when she walked in.

Larry looked over at her. "Hey, Michaela."

"I am so excited, but nervous at the same time. Do you think the pirates will be nice? Or will they try to kill us?"

"I am hoping they're nice. Just for once I would like something in the museum not to kill us."

Michaela laughed. "Maybe this will go our way."

"I am hoping."

For the next hour or so, Michaela and Larry continued working on the new exhibit room. They didn't have a lot of work to do since they had already set up most of the stuff. It wasn't long before Dr. McPhee came in and told them that the exhibit and the family donating them were here.

When McPhee left, Michaela turned to Larry. "So, you were telling me that every other Friday or so the museum will stay open late so the people can experience the museum coming to life even though they don't believe the museum is alive. How are you explaining to McPhee about the pirates? I am sure he knows that they aren't electronic."

"I just told him I knew someone who can make the pirates the same way like he did for the rest of the museum."

"How is it that he doesn't know what really goes on here?"

"I don't know. Maybe he knows something goes on, but doesn't want to admit it." Larry shrugged.

When the two of them got the loading dock, Michaela was surprised to see someone she knew.

"Candace?" Michaela questioned as she walked up to her.

Candace smiled. "Hey, Michaela."

"Your family is the one donating the pirate exhibit?"

"Yep. This was the thing my mom was trying to get me to come to. I didn't want to come because it was just going to be boring talk, but my mom thought it would be a good idea for me to come for some reason. Something about doing this as a family or whatever. Anyway, when I found out you worked here I just had to come and see your face when you saw me."

"Wow, I am surprised."

"I knew you would be. I don't like telling people that my family is somewhat rich. People assume that money is just handed to me. My parents make me work for my money though. They did not just hand me whatever I wanted, but everyone thinks I am just a spoiled rich kid, which is why I never really tell people I am rich."

"I can understand that. So, do your parents just collect stuff? How did they get a bunch of pirates?"

"Pretty much. They travelled the world for a few years and just bought whatever they liked at the time. They have donated some things to other museums."

"Michaela, I need your help." Larry said.

"Duty calls." Michaela then went over to help Larry with the exhibits.

It didn't take long for Michaela and Larry to get all the pirate exhibits to the new exhibit room. Once everything was set up, Candance and her parents left.

"I think they look nice." Dr. McPhee said as he looked at the pirate exhibit. "Well, I'm off. Do not destroy my museum."

"We haven't yet." Michaela said.

McPhee gave her a look and she just smiled. He shook his head as he left the room.

It wasn't long after McPhee left that the sun went down and the museum came to life.

The pirates looked around in confusion. A few of them were asking if anyone knew where they were.

"Hello." Larry said. The pirates looked at him. "I'm Larry, and this is Michaela."

Michaela waved.

One of the pirates stepped forward. Michaela assumed he was the captain since he was dressed in captain's clothes.

"Where are we?" He asked.

"You're in a museum."

"Museum?"

"What is a museum?" The captain asked as he glanced around the room.

"It's a place where historical artifacts and things are kept."

"So, you've managed to take us hostage. Well, we will not go down without a fight." The captain pointed his sword at Larry. Michaela took a step back.

"You aren't being held hostage."

"Well, then, we shall leave this place." The captain motioned for the other pirates and they all started walking out of the room.

Larry quickly stood in front of them. "Um, I'm afraid I can't let you go."

"You just said we were not held hostage."

"You aren't. I just can't let you leave."

"Then we are held hostage." The captain once again pointed his sword at Larry.

"Huh, I guess we are kind of keeping them hostage." Michaela said.

Larry gave her a look. "Not helping."

"Sorry."

"Get out of my way or I will kill you where you stand."

"There is a perfectly good explanation for why you can't leave." Larry said. "There's-there's this tablet and…" Larry trailed off as he thought of his words.

"Kind of hard to explain and not sound crazy." Michaela said.

"Again, not helping."

"Enough of this. Kill them!"

The other pirates took out their swords and charged Larry and Michaela; the two of them took off running.

"This is bringing back some very unpleasant memories." Michaela said.

"Don't worry, I'll think of something."

The two of them ran through the museum. Michaela knew the swords were real so she really hoped she and Larry did not get caught. If either one of them got stabbed it would be very difficult to explain.

Larry soon stopped. When Michaela noticed, she stopped as well. "Why are you stopping?"

"They're planning something."

Michaela looked over toward the pirates, who were no longer chasing them. They were huddled together with the captain pointing in different directions.

Larry turned to Michaela. "Michaela, I need you to gather up everyone you can and get them to the lobby."

"You want me to leave you alone with the crazy pirates who want to kills us?"

"The only way out is through the lobby. If we get everyone there then maybe we can stop the pirates from leaving."

"Ok, but what are we going to do tomorrow night? We can't keep guarding the doors for the rest of our lives."

"Uh, I'll think of something."

"And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to try talking to them again."

"Right, because that worked out so well the first time."

"Just go get everyone."

"Fine. Just don't get dead, all right."

"All right."

Michaela turned and took off running. Everyone she ran by she told them to get to the lobby. A few of them had tried to ask why, but all Michaela said was crazy pirates, she did not slow down one bit. She wondered if anyone would go to the lobby, or if they all thought she just lost it.

Michaela rounded a corner and immediately came to a halt. Standing in front of her were a few of the pirates. They were not the people Michaela was trying to find. She turned to start running the other way, but the pirates were quick and grabbed her.

"Let go of me." Michaela said as she struggled to free herself.

"Put her in the room with the other one." One of the pirates said.

"Hey, can't we talk this over? I am sure we can all get along."

One of the pirates opened the door while the other pushed her in. They then shut the door.

Michaela quickly turned around and tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Hey, let me out."

"I do not think that is going to work."

Michaela turned around. "Ahkmenrah? Well, bright side: at least I am not stuck in here alone."

"I would like it better if we were not stuck in here at all."

"Yeah. This is going to be a long night." Michaela was silent for a while as she thought about how they were going to get out of this. She was then hit with a thought. She turned to Ahkmenrah. "Wait, if we are stuck in here until morning then you turn back into a mummy, right? Like all decaying and stuff." She then realized how that sounded. "Oh, I so did not mean that. I mean, that was very rude. Not that I would be disgusted or anything…and I am going to stop talking. Sorry." Michaela quickly turned around.

Silence fell upon them. Michaela did not blame Ahkmenrah for not wanting to talk. She would not want to talk to her either. She probably really offended him. Now things will be even more awkward between them and she probably took a major step back in trying to become friends with him.

Michaela kicked the door, which she found to be a bad idea. "Ow, that was dumb." She said as she sat down. "So, have any ideas to pass the time? Maybe if I yell someone will hear me and let us out."

Ahkmenrah said nothing. Yep, this was definitely going to be a long night.

"Oh." Michaela said. "I could call Larry and let him know we are locked in a room." Michaela went to reach for her phone in her pocket, but stopped. "I forgot. I left my phone in my locker. Stupid."

Michaela glanced over at Ahkmenrah, but he was staring off into space. He probably didn't even hear a word she said. Once again, they were surrounded by silence.

Michaela wondered how much time had passed. It probably wasn't more than fifteen or twenty minutes, but it felt much longer than that. She hoped Larry was doing better than she was.

"Kiya was commoner." Ahkmenrah said out of nowhere.

Michaela looked at him. "What?"

"My good friend Kiya, she was not a royal. No one knew of our friendship. My parents would not approve. I would always sneak out to go see her."

"So, the pharaoh has a rebellious side."

"Sometimes I wish I did not. As we grew older I started…I fell in love with her, but me being a prince and her a commoner we were not allowed to be together. She knew that better than I did. I would try to convince her that we could be together. I even suggested we run away. I would renounce my title for her. She would not let me do that."

"That must have been hard."

"It was. My parents were trying to find me someone to marry, but I did not want anyone but her. Of course, duty comes before everything, which she reminded me of every so often."

"What happened to her?"

"I told her that I loved her. She said we could never be and then left. I thought I would never see her again. She had mentioned that we should not see one another anymore because someone might see us and probably get the wrong idea about us. She knew it would be worse for her and I understood that. It saddened me, but I would have been ok if I did not see her again."

Ahkmenrah was silent for a moment. Michaela waited for him to continue, if he continued. She was not going to push him to share.

Finally, he said, "She came into my room one night. I was surprised that she got passed the guards. She said she was very good at sneaking." Ahkmenrah smiled at the memory. "She came to say that she loved me too. My father soon came into my room and saw her. He ordered the guards to take her away. I begged him to let her go."

"What happened?"

"I do not know. I never saw her again after that. I assumed that she was…" Ahkmenrah trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence, but Michaela knew what he was going to say.

"I am so sorry." Michaela said as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I had asked my father many times what he had done with her, but he refused to answer. I apologize again for how I treated you when I first saw you. You just look so much like her."

"It's ok. I understand."

"Thank you for understanding."

Michaela smiled. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

Michaela looked around. She had not heard anyone walk by the room which made her wonder what happened to everyone else. Her eyes then spotted something.

"Hey, there's a vent up there. Maybe I can fit through it and make it out."

"It's too dangerous. What if the pirates are out there?"

"They will put me back in here?" Michaela shrugged. "It will be fine."

"Maybe I should do it."

"I'm a bit smaller than you so I would probably fit better."

Michaela took a deep breath, then began to climb on the bookshelf. She went to step up, but her foot slipped and she lost her balance. Ahkmenrah quickly put his hands out in case he needed to catch her.

"Michaela, are you all right?"

"I am fine." Michaela glanced down at him. "At least I have you to catch me if I fall."

Ahkmenrah looked down as his cheeks turned red. Michaela could not help but smile. She then continued her way up. Once she was close to the vent it was a bit of a challenge getting it open. There was no other place for Michaela to sit or put her hands and feet on. She had to stand on the bookcase with one arm resting on the top while she used her other hand to open the vent.

"This is not as easy as I thought it would be." Michaela said as she continued to struggle getting the vent open. "Almost…have it."

Just as the vent came off, Michaela lost her grip and fell. Instead of hitting the hard ground, she was caught by Ahkmenrah.

"I knew you would catch me if I fell." Michaela smiled.

"Uh, y-yes, of course I would catch you. I would not let you hit the ground and injury yourself."

The two of them stared at each other for a minute before Michaela said, "Um, Ahkmenrah, you can put me down now."

"Oh, yes." He put her on the ground. Ahkmenrah looked away.

Michaela turned back to the bookcase and began to climb once again. With the vent now open, Michaela had no problem climbing in. "I'll be quick."

Michaela quietly made her way through the vent. She thought she was doing pretty well until she came to a fork in the vent. She looked both ways.

"Pretty sure it's this way." She said as she went right. "Yeah, it's this way."

She continued on until she came to another vent. Michaela peeked through the vent. She couldn't see a lot, but she did not see anyone around. She quietly took the vent off and poked her head down. Seeing that there was no one around, she went to get down, it was then she realized a flaw in her plan. There was nothing for her to climb down on so she would have to jump.

"This is going to hurt." Taking a deep breath, she put her feet over the vent. "I can do this. It's not that far. I won't break any bones…I hope." Taking another deep breath, Michaela jumped from the vent to the ground.

When Michaela landed, her ankle bent and she fell to the floor. "Ow."

Michaela looked around, hoping that no one had heard her. When she knew no one was coming she stood up and unlocked the door and opened it up.

"Hey, Ahk, come on."

Ahkmenrah stared at Michaela.

"What?"

"That was the first time you called me Ahk."

"Well, this is the first time I have felt that we are actually friends."

Ahkmenrah smiled. "Oh, uh, we should go find everyone else."

"Yep."

Michaela took a step and hissed in pain. Ahkmenrah looked at her with concern "Are you all right?"

"I had to jump from the vent and I hurt my ankle. Pretty sure it's just sprained and not broken."

"I should have gone."

"And then you would have been the one with the sore ankle."

Ahkmenrah grabbed Michaela's arm.

Michaela flinched. "Whoa, what are you doing?"

"Helping you." He put her arm around his neck, and then put his other arm around her waist to help her walk.

"Larry told me to tell everyone to go to the lobby so maybe we should start there."

The two of them continued walking through the museum, keeping an eye out for anyone whether they be a pirate or one of their friends. Michaela was starting to get concerned since the museum seemed eerily quiet.

"I don't want to think the worst, but do you also think that the museum is too quiet?" Michaela asked.

"You're right."

Michaela was really hoping everyone was all right. She had no idea what she would tell Dr. McPhee if everyone was dead. That would be a bit tough to explain.

Something came around the corner, making both Ahkmenrah and Michaela jump. They relaxed when they realized who it was.

"Dexter, it's not nice sneaking up on people." Michaela said. "Where is everyone else?"

He made a noise and then pointed in a direction. He then took off running; Ahkmenrah and Michaela followed him. It didn't take them long to get to the front of the museum. The three of them hid as Ahkmenrah and Michaela looked over the railing.

The pirates had Larry and most of the exhibits in the lobby.

"What are they doing?" Michaela asked.

"I do not know." Ahkmenrah answered.

Michaela looked at her watch. "There is still a few more hours until sunrise. Ugh, what are we going to do?"

"We will think of something."

"Well, we better think of something fast."

"I will ask you one more time." The captain. "Where is my treasure?

"We don't know where your treasure is, all right." Larry said.

"You're lying." The pirate pointed his sword at Larry. Larry back up.

"Ok, we have to think of something fast before Larry is used as a pin cushion." Michaela said.

"I might have an idea." Ahkmenrah said. "Come on." The two of them stayed low so the pirates wouldn't see them. Michaela hoped that whatever Ahk had planned that it would work

"I grow tired of this." The pirate said. "If you do not tell me where my treasure is then I will start killing your friends." The pirate moved to Sacagawea; Teddy quickly stood in front of her.

"I would love to tell you, really." Larry said. "But we really do not have your treasure.

"So be it." The pirate raised his sword.

"No, don't." Larry said as he went for the pirate.

"Hey pirates."

Everyone looked at the top of the stairs where Ahkmenrah stood. "I know where your treasure is."

"Finally, someone who is willing to cooperate."

The captain motioned for the other pirates to follow him. Larry looked at Ahk, wondering what he had planned. He also followed them. As he was walking he kept an eye out for Michaela. They had separated and Larry really hoped that she was all right.

As Ahkmenrah walked, he was all too aware of the pirate behind him. His sword was pointed at his back. He knew that if he made a move the pirate didn't like he would most likely get stabbed in the back.

They finally stopped in front of a door. "Your treasure is in there." Ahkmenrah said.

"You better not be lying to me." The captain said. He and the other pirates then went in.

Once the last pirate was in, Michaela, who had been hiding behind the door, shut it and locked it.

"Well, that should hold them for the night." Michaela said. "Now, what are we going to do about tomorrow night?"

The pirates banged on the door, making Michaela jump back. She landed on her injured ankle. "Ow."

"Michaela, are you all right?" Larry asked.

"Yeah, fine. I just hurt my ankle jumping down from the vent in the ceiling."

Larry raised an eyebrow. "Why did you jump from a vent?"

"Ahk and I were locked in a room and the only way out was through the vent. So, what are we going to do about these guys? We can't just lock them up every night."

"Why not? I was locked in my sarcophagus for years before I was let out." Ahkmenrah said.

"Really? That is horrible. Maybe we can make peace with them."

"I really don't think that will work." Larry said. "These guys really want their treasure and I have a feeling they will stop at nothing to find it."

"What is so important about this treasure anyway?"

"No idea. Well, I suppose someone should stand guard here just in case the pirates get out."

Michaela sighed. "This is going to be a long night."

And a long night it was. They had taken turns standing guard by the door. The pirates were banging on the door so much Michaela was sure they would break it down. Morning soon came though and the pirates had remained locked in the room. Larry and Michaela quickly put the pirates back before McPhee came in and questioned them about the pirates being in a different room.

"Maybe if we researched who these pirates are we can figure out what kind of treasure they are looking for." Michaela suggested.

"That is a good idea. The captain said his name was Marcus." Larry said. "We can go back to my place and I will fix us some breakfast."

"Sounds like a plan."

It did not take them long to get to Larry's place. While Michaela searched for any information on the pirate, Larry made them pancakes.

"Wow, this captain was really ruthless." Michaela said. "It says here that he would kill men, women, and children. Uh-oh."

Larry looked up from the pancake he had just put in the pan. "Uh-oh? What uh-oh?"

"This guy likes to use poison on his enemies." Michaela glanced up at Larry. "Do you think he has poison on him?"

"I would like to think he doesn't. Why would a wax exhibit have real poison? But just to be safe we'll check before nightfall."

Michaela nodded.

Larry soon finished the pancakes. He and Michaela continued looking up information about Captain Marcus while they ate. Michaela had finished eating four pancakes and they had yet to find any information on why the captain would want his treasure so bad. Michaela had soon sat on the couch while Larry continued the search.

After a few more minutes of searching, Larry was about to call it quits when he found something interesting.

"That has to be it." He said. "Michaela, all this time we thought it was treasure he buried, but it's-" Larry turned to Michaela and saw her sleeping on the couch.

Larry stood and grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and put it over Michaela. He would tell her when she woke up. No need to disturb her.

Actually, sleep sounded like a good idea. Larry went to his room; it didn't take him long to fall asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**I expected to have this chapter up sooner, but work got in the way. Anyway, things have settled down now and I'm hoping not to wait so long to have the next chapter up. Hope this chapter is worth the wait!**

* * *

Ringing brought Michaela out of her peaceful slumber. Groaning, she searched for her phone. She soon found it and answered it without looking to see who was calling.

"Hello?" She answered, still half asleep.

"Michaela, you have been in New York for a while now and haven't even called to tell me how it's going."

Michaela sat up. "Sorry, mom. A lot has been going on."

"So much you can't call for just five minutes?"

Michaela glanced around in confusion. This wasn't her dorm. Larry walked into the room and Michaela remembered she had come to his place after work. Michaela rubbed her eyes, trying to get the sleep out.

"Well, with school and things. Um, I got a job."

"So soon? That's wonderful. Where are you working?"

Michaela hesitated. Her last job at a museum didn't end well and her mom would probably point that out.

Larry raised an eyebrow at her silence.

"Michaela, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I, uh, I got a job at a museum."

Larry chuckled as he began making coffee.

"So, a museum hired you after your last job fired you because you destroyed it?" Her mom asked.

"Well, actually I-"

"Did you tell your new job what happened?"

"Yes, and-"

"And they still hired you?"

"Yes."

"Please just promise me I will not get a call saying you destroyed this museum."

"It actually wasn't my fault, but I promise not to destroy this museum."

Michaela could just sense her mom shaking her head.

"Don't wait so long to call, ok?"

"Ok. I promise to call more often."

"Your sister would be happy if you did. I love you."

"Love you too."

As soon as Michaela hung up with her mom Larry asked, "So, what does your mom think of your new job?"

Michaela gave him a look. "She's perfectly fine with me working at a museum as long as I don't destroy it."

"I'll make sure you don't destroy the museum."

"You know," Michaela said as she stood up. "you destroyed more museums than I have. Are you really the right person to make sure I don't destroy it?"

"Point taken."

Michaela smirked. "So, did you find anything about this captain Marcus?"

"I actually did find something. There is no information on Marcus burying any treasure. Historians believe that the only treasure he had was recovered when he was killed. There was one thing that was constant throughout everything I found."

"Which was?"

Larry opened his laptop, which was still open with a few tabs he had been searching.

"Look through the pages and tell me what you see."

Michaela looked through the different open tabs, trying to see what was the same. She clicked through them a few times before she realized what it was.

"The necklace." Michaela said, looking up at Larry.

"Right. That's the only thing that all these pictures have in common."

"So, what's so special about a necklace?"

"It was the last thing given to him by his wife."

"What happened to his wife?"

"She was killed."

"No wonder he wants it back so much. Though I'm surprised anyone would want to marry him since he didn't discriminate against who he killed."

"I guess we'll never know how they fell in love."

"Unless she was just as ruthless as he was."

Michaela looked back at the laptop, glancing through some of the information. She stopped when she found a larger picture of the necklace. She knew she saw it somewhere before, but where?

"Michaela, you ok?"

"Yeah." Michaela stared at the necklace for a few seconds before looking up at Larry. "Yeah, I'm fine,"

"Coffee?" Larry asked as he held out a cup for Michaela.

"Yes, thank you." Michaela took a sip, and then made a face. "It needs more sugar."

Larry handed Michaela the sugar. He watched as she put four scoops in. "Isn't that a little too much sugar?"

"You can never have too much sugar."

Larry raised an eyebrow. "It's a good way to get cavities."

Michaela went to get another scoop of sugar, but Larry grabbed the sugar before she could. Michaela looked at him with a pout.

"That's not going to work on me. I'm a dad. I know how to say no."

Michaela stuck out her tongue; Larry just shook his head.

"So, what are we going to do about the pirates?" Michaela asked. "We don't have the necklace. For all we know it's buried with the real Captain Marcus."

"We could try to make a fake one." Larry suggested.

"Do you think he would know the difference?"

"Maybe, but I think that's our only option at the moment."

"Do you think if we told Marcus we know what he is looking for and that we will help him, he and the rest of the pirates will not want to kill us?"

Larry shrugged. "We could try it."

"I hope we can get along. I really don't want to keep locking them up every night. That's going to get trying after a while."

Larry nodded.

They had a plan for that night. They would lock the pirates up and then try to make a deal with them. Michaela hoped that if Marcus just agreed with their help then they would calm down and not try to kill them. It was a long shot, but it was all they had. Michaela hated the idea of having to lock them up every night.

Michaela soon left Larry's place and headed back to her dorm. She had some homework she had to work on. Also, she could really use a nap even though she had just woken up not that long ago.

As Michaela was making her way back she couldn't stop thinking about that necklace. She knew she had seen it somewhere, but where? It would probably come to her when she wasn't thinking about it so hard.

Thinking about the pirates and the necklace made Michaela think back on how interesting it was how her life was going. It was just by chance that she got the job at the Smithsonian museum. If it hadn't been for that one day she would be living a completely different life now.

Michaela was tired of the job she currently had. It was a small pizza joint. It wasn't a bad job, but she couldn't stand most of her co-workers. They liked to gossip. If you did something even as small as a sneeze they would talk about it.

Michaela was sitting outside her work with Cody, her boyfriend at the time. They were arguing about something. She couldn't even remember what they were fighting about. Cody left, saying that he would talk to her when she calmed down. When Michaela went inside and went to put her stuff in her locker, she heard a few of her co-workers talking about the fight she just had. That was when she decided to look for another job.

On her next day off, Michaela went in search of another job. One of her friends told her the museum was hiring, but Michaela didn't want to work there. She didn't know much about history and it really didn't sound that exciting to her.

After putting in a few applications and going to a few places, Michaela was ready to call it quits for the day. She met up with her friend and they were supposed to go get ice cream, but instead her friend drove her to the museum and told her to just apply. Knowing her friend wouldn't take no for an answer, Michaela decided to just apply. She was surprised when that was the first job to call her for an interview.

Michaela wasn't sure if she was going to take the job if offered. It was for a security position and she really didn't have experience as a guard. When she went into work one day and a co-worker brought up the fight she had with her boyfriend she decided to accept the job if she was offered the position. She needed out of here before she punched someone.

If she had never had that fight with her boyfriend outside her work. If she had never caught her co-workers talking about it. If her friend didn't make her apply for the Smithsonian who knows where she would be now.

It amazed her how things happen in life and how each decision affects something bigger. In the end, she was glad of how things happened. If none of that happened then she wouldn't have met Larry, and she wouldn't know about the wonders of Ahkmenrah's tablet. Things definitely had a way of working out for the best.

Michaela made it back to college and was about to head to her dorm when someone called her name. Turning, she saw Candance coming toward her.

"Where were you last night?" Candace asked.

"I stayed at a friend's house."

"Is this friend a guy?"

"Yes. And before you get any ideas, we are just friends. He's older than me too."

"Nothing wrong with older men."

Michaela shook her head.

"Anyway, club signs ups are going on. Are you going to join one?"

"I don't know. I don't think I have much talent for any clubs."

"I'm sure you're good at something. Come on."

Before Michaela could object, Candace grabbed her arm and dragged her to where the clubs sign ups were being held.

"So, anything catching your eye?"

Michaela glanced around at the different club stands. "Nope." She turned to go to her dorm, but Candace grabbed her arm.

"You didn't even look."

"Yes, I did. There's debate club, a singing club, artist club. None of which I can do."

Michaela tried to turn away again; Candace would not let go.

"That's only a few of them. Come on."

Michaela groaned as Candace dragged her. "This is part of what college is all about. You got to get out there, make new friends."

"What if I like the friends I already have?"

Candace gave her a look.

"Ok, fine. I'll look around."

Candace smiled. "Good. I for one already know what I'm going to sign up for."

"What's that?"

"Photography club."

"You like photography?"

"Yeah. My grandpa gave me my first camera when I was seven. That's when I found I loved taking pictures of nature. I should show you some of my pictures some time. I think they are amazing if I do say so myself."

"I would love to see them." Michaela glanced around. So far, nothing was catching her interest. She didn't want to debate with people, she couldn't sing, and she definitely had no artistic talent. Michaela started to wonder if there was anything that would keep her interest.

After walking by a few stands, Michaela stopped when she saw the perfect club to join.

"I just found the club I'm going to sign up for."

Candace followed her gaze. She looked back at Michaela. "No way. I didn't picture you a nerd."

Michaela looked over at Candace. "What's a nerd supposed to look like?"

Candace shrugged. "I don't know. Glasses that are duct tape together, suspenders, pocket protector."

"That is a very bad stereotype. You should see all the nerdy posters and things I have. I brought a few I haven't unpacked yet."

"So, we have to make a plan for you to show me your nerdy things and for me to show you my photos."

"Sounds good." Michaela then walked over to the sci-fi and fantasy stand and signed up.

The two of them wandered around, seeing what else was there. It wasn't long before they set their eyes on something they couldn't resist; snow cones. Michaela couldn't make up her mind which flavor she wanted so she got three different flavors.

"I haven't had a snow cone in years." Michaela said. "I remember when I was younger I would chase the ice cream man and I would always pick a snow cone."

"You know it's quite easy to make your own snow cone. It's just crushed ice with flavoring."

"True."

The two of them soon made their way back to their dorm.

"Well, that was fun." Candace said once they arrived back in their dorm.

"Yeah, it was. I'm actually excited about joining a club."

"And now you can nerd out with a bunch of new friends. Anyway, I told my mom I would help her paint the living room."

"Miss Money Bags paints her own living room?" Michaela teased.

"Hey, just because my parents have some money doesn't mean we hire people to do things for us. Life wouldn't be any fun that way. See ya." Candace then left.

Michaela decided she would take a nap before going to the museum. She probably should work on her homework, but she didn't feel like it. It had been a long night and a long day. She knew tonight would be just as long.

As she was about to lie down, she passed Candace's nightstand. She stopped when something caught her attention. Picking up the picture of Candace and, who she assumed were her friends, hanging around Candace's neck was the necklace that looked exactly like the one Larry had found belonging to Captain Marcus. That's why Michaela thought she had seen the necklace before. She did, in this picture. The question now was how was she going to explain to Candace that she needed that necklace?


	10. Chapter 10

That night, when Michaela arrived at the museum, she quickly made her way to the back room. She was in such a rush that she almost bumped in to a few people. She quickly apologized as she continued on her way. As soon as Michaela ran into the back room she tried to stop, but ended up tripping over one of the boxes and falling to the ground.

Michaela rolled over on her back. "Ow." Michaela closed her eyes, debating on if she should get up. Larry wasn't here yet…at least she didn't see him when she came barreling in the room.

"Michaela, what are you doing on the floor?"

Michaela opened her eyes and saw Larry standing over her with a concerned look. "Oh, just contemplating my life."

"Really? On the floor?"

Michaela stood up. "Actually, I came running in here to tell you something and I kind of tripped over a box."

"What's so important that you almost killed yourself for?"

"I know where the necklace is. The necklace that Marcus is looking for. My roommate has it."

"Great, so now all we have to do is convince your roommate to let you have it. Good luck with that conversation."

"Don't you have any advice or anything?"

"Nope."

"Lot of help you are."

"We'll figure something out. Right now, we should lock the pirates up. Hopefully they'll listen to what we have to say and not kill us."

"That would be nice." Michaela put her bag in her locker, then she and Larry made their way to the pirate exhibit. They had to work quickly since it was almost sundown. Luckily, there was a storage closet near the exhibit.

The two of them took the swords from all the pirates and put them aside. Next, they made sure they weren't carrying poison. Larry was sure that wax exhibits wouldn't be carrying poison, but it put Michaela's mind at ease knowing for sure.

Michaela looked in the bag the captain had around his waist. Looking in it revealed nothing but dust. She blew in it, which turned out to be a bad idea as the dust flew up and she inhaled it. Michaela coughed.

"You all right?" Larry asked.

"Yeah, just inhaled some dust. Candace's parents could have at least washed this stuff before donating it."

Once everything was checked, Larry and Michaela moved the pirates to the supply closet and not a moment too soon. Once the door was locked the sun went down, bringing the museum to life.

The pirates pounded on the door. "Let us out!"

"We have a deal for you." Larry said.

There was silence on the other side. Hopefully the pirates would agree to their deal.

"What kind of deal could you possibly offer?" Marcus laughed.

"We know you're looking for a necklace and we know where to get it."

"And how do I know you are telling the truth?"

"Well, we aren't pirates for one so our word is a bit more reliable than yours." Michaela said.

Larry glanced at her. "Not helping."

"Sorry."

There was silence on the other side of the door. Then Marcus laughed. "I like that girl. Fine, you have my word that we will not fight you. We will hear what you have to say."

"How can we trust his word? He may just be saying that to get out and once he does he'll kill us."

"On my honor, I will not kill you…yet." Marcus said.

Michaela looked over at Larry and whispered, "Pirates have honor?"

Larry shrugged. "Maybe if we trust them and let them out they will trust us."

Michaela sighed. "Fine, but if they kill me I'm coming back and haunting you."

"Fair enough." Larry said. Then to the pirates he said, "Ok, I'm going to unlock the door but you can't kill us." Larry unlocked the door.

Michaela quickly stepped back when the pirates came out the door.

"Now, take me to my treasure." Marcus said.

"We can't actually do that." Michaela said.

Marcus took a step toward her, his hand going to where he kept his sword; Larry pushed Michaela behind him.

Marcus looked down with confusion, then back up. "Where's me sword?"

"We took it for safety reasons." Larry answered.

"We can get you the necklace, but the person who has won't be back until tomorrow."

Michaela wasn't sure what Marcus was going to do. He just stood there staring at them for what seemed like hours.

Finally, he said, "All right, but I expect the necklace tomorrow. I'll keep the girl until then."

"What?" Michaela asked. Why was she always the one being kept by people who wanted things from her?

"You can't." Larry quickly said. "She's the only one who knows the person who has the necklace."

"Fine, then we will find entertainment elsewhere." The pirates turned and began walking away.

"I do not want to know their definition of entertainment." Michaela said.

"I'll keep an eye on them." Larry said.

"And I'll stay far away from them."

Larry nodded. He then went after the pirates.

Michaela had gone to her locker, took some of her homework out of her bag, then went to the diorama room. Sitting on the floor, she opened her book and tried to get something done. Of course, with a museum coming to life it's probably not the best place to do homework especially with pirates on the loose.

Thinking of the pirates made Michaela feel a little guilty. She should probably help Larry keep an eye on them.

"What are you doing?" Jed asked as he walked up to Michaela.

"Doing some school work on ancient civilizations." Michaela answered, not looking up from her book.

"Are you leaning about Rome?" Octavius asked.

"Not yet, but we're making our way there."

"Oh, she doesn't want to learn about Rome." Jed said. "I'm sure she's more interested in the west. If you want to know anything I'll be happy to help."

Michaela glanced down at her two small friends and smiled. "Thanks, Jed, but I'm not even on that side of the world yet."

"You know, Jedediah, it's not polite to assume she would be more interested in the Western world." Octavius said.

"I'm sure it would be more exciting than Rome." Jed said.

"Yes, I'm sure riding around on horses all day is very exciting."

"Hey, there is much more to the west than just riding horses."

Octavius opened his mouth to reply, but Michaela spoke up first. "Guys, don't argue. I'm sure both sides will be very interesting to learn about."

"Which civilization are you more interested in learning about?" Octavius asked Michaela.

"Well…" Michaela thought about it. There were so many civilizations and each were interesting in their own way, but there was one that really stood out to her. "Actually, I'm excited to learn about ancient Egypt. The few times Kahmunrah talked about his home he made it sound…I don't think amazing is the right word, but when he talked about it I just found myself being fascinated by it all."

"You didn't fall in love with him, did you?" Jed asked.

Michaela looked at him. "Of course not. I think I just saw a side of him that he didn't usually show to people."

"Sounds like love."

Michaela glared. "It wasn't love." She glanced up just in time to see Ahkmenrah walk around the corner. Michaela put her book down. "I'll be back." She then stood and went after the young pharaoh.

"See what you did?" Octavius said. "You chased her off."

Micaela rushed to catch up with Ahkmenrah. "Hey Ahk."

Ahkmenrah stopped and turned toward her; Michaela stopped when she stood in front of him.

"Why don't you join us?"

"I uh…I have things I need to do."

Michaela raised an eyebrow. "What kind of things do you need to do?"

Ahkmenrah sighed. "I'm sorry. I just…hearing you talk about Kahmunrah…"

"I'm sorry. If I knew you were around I wouldn't have mentioned him. Um, I mean, do you not want me to mention him again?"

"No, it's fine. It's nice to know there might have been some good in him still. I just miss the times we were close."

"Ahk-"

 _CRASH!_

Both Michaela and Ahkmenrah took off running to where they heard the crash. Michaela knew it was the pirates, it had to be. They were a rowdy bunch and she was sure they couldn't just wait patiently and get along with everyone.

As they neared the place the crash came from, which was leading them to the lobby, they could hear shouts. Well, that definitely wasn't good.

The two of them reached the top of the stairs leading down to the lobby. Just as Michaela thought, the pirates were causing trouble. They were fighting with some of the other exhibits, though because they still didn't have their swords they were fist fighting. Larry was in the middle of the fight, moving between everyone so as he wouldn't get hit trying to stop them.

"Can't we all just get along?" Larry asked.

 _That's my question too._ Michaela thought. Then to Ahkmenrah she said, "We better get down there and help."

Ahkmenrah nodded.

"Michaela." Larry said when he saw her. "Good, maybe you can help me stop this."

"What started this?"

"Oh, you know, pirates being pirates. Marcus got bored so he started a fight."

A pirate came running up to Michaela and threw a punch.

"Whoa." Michaela said as she dodged. "Really? Can't we have one night where all just get along?"

Michaela and Larry tried to get the pirates to stop fighting, but nothing they did worked; the pirates just ignored them. Michaela dodged another attack when an idea came to her. Why hadn't she thought about it sooner? It was a good idea, but would it actually work?

Michaela was so busy thinking out her plan that she was not aware of the pirate coming up behind her.

"Kiya, look out." Ahkmenrah said as he quickly made his way over to her. He shoved the pirate right before he could attack Michaela.

Michaela turned around and stared. "You…just called me Kiya.

"I'm sure that I didn't. Michaela and Kiya sound so alike."

Michaela blinked. "If that's what you want to believe. We're going to talk about this, but first I figured out a way to stop the pirates." Michaela took off running. She then hollered back, "And we will talk about this."

Michaela ran down the hall and it didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. Rexy was lying on the floor without a care in the world.

"Rexy, get up." Rexy looked up at Michaela. "I need your help with something."

Rexy stood as he stretched. He then followed Michaela.

Once the two of them were back in the lobby, Michaela pointed to the pirates. "All right, Rexy, make sure the pirates don't cause any more trouble."

Rexy roared, making everyone in the lobby stop and look over. One of the pirates moved; Rexy roared again making the pirate instantly stop.

"If any of you pirates even think about starting another fight Rexy will attack you." Michaela said looking at the pirates as if daring them to move.

Marcus stepped forward. "I'm not afraid of this creature."

Rexy turned, swiping his tail at Marcus and sending him flying across the room.

"Perhaps I should rethink my strategy." Marcus said.

"Like maybe not starting a fight?" Michaela suggested.

"Might be a good start."

"Good thinking, Michaela." Larry said as he walked up to her.

"Thanks." Michaela glanced around. "Where's Ahkmenrah?"

"Oh, I think he went back to his room."

Michaela nodded. She then made her way there. She did not forget the talk they still had to have.

When she walked into the Egyptian exhibit, Ahkmenrah was no where to be seen. As she walked further in she saw that his sarcophagus lid was closed.

She knocked on the lid. "Ahk, are you in there?"

No answer.

"We should talk about what happened."

Still no answer.

Michaela sighed as she sat down. She could just move the lid and force him to talk, but she wasn't going to do that. She knew that this Kiya person had meant a lot to him and it hurt him greatly not knowing what happened to her. Michaela looking like his friend didn't help his pain any. She thought they had gotten passed her looking like his friend, but it was clear that Ahkmenrah was only ever going to see her as Kiya and not as Michaela.

The more Michaela thought about it the more she was glad Ahkmenrah was hiding away. She wouldn't know what to say now. Maybe it would be better if she just stayed out of his way from now on. If he wasn't going to see her for herself than there was no point in trying to be friends.

"Michaela, there you are."

Michaela glanced up and saw Larry walking in.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Michaela said. "What's up? Are the pirates causing problems again?"

"Surprisingly, Rexy kept them in line. It's morning though, so our shift is over."

"Oh." Michaela hadn't realized it was so late…or early. Michaela stood, but as soon as she did the world spun. She put her hand on the sarcophagus to steady herself.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, I probably just stood up too fast." Once everything stopped spinning, the two of them starting walking. "I really hope my roommate will let me have the necklace."

"Do you think the necklace is real?" Larry asked.

"I don't know, but it's the only shot we have." Michaela grabbed her bag from her locker. "Larry, what am I going to tell Candace if she won't give me the necklace? I have no idea how this conversation will go."

"Well, if she asks why you need it tell her the truth."

Michaela shut her locker and looked at Larry. "Really? You wouldn't mind if she knew?"

"If you think she can handle it, go ahead and tell her. Unless you have a really good explanation on why you need her necklace."

Michaela sighed. She was not looking forward to this conversation. "I'll let you know how it goes." Michaela then headed back to campus.

All the way there, Michaela rehearsed what she was going to say…or at least try to say. She still had no idea what she was going to say. Why would she need Candace's necklace? That was a very good question.

Michaela arrived back her dorm all too soon. She knew she had to get the necklace soon, but she was hoping Candace wasn't there so she could prolong it just a bit longer. Opening the door Michaela found luck was not on her side. Candace was there doing yoga.

"Morning, Michaela." Candace said when she noticed her roommate.

"Morning." Michaela walked in and shut the door behind her. She then sat on her bed.

"What's with the face?"

"I uh…well, I kind of need a favor."

Candace stood, giving Michaela her full attention. "What kind of favor?"

Michaela was silent.

"You aren't going to ask me for money, are you?"

"No, of course not!"

"I was only kidding. Calm down."

"Sorry. I just…" Well, might as well just say it and get it over with. "I need your necklace. The one you're wearing in that picture." Michaela pointed.

Candance glanced over at the picture, then back at Michaela. "Why do you need it?"

"Well, I was reading about the pirates your parents donated and I read that the captain had that necklace. It was given to him by his wife. I just thought it would be nice if he had it back."

Michaela mentally scolded herself. That was the lamest excuse ever. There was no way Candace was going to fall for it.

Candace raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Do you know how much I had to beg my parents to let me have that necklace?"

"So, it's the real thing?"

Candace shrugged. "It's real silver. As to whether it's the real necklace Captain Marcus had, I have no idea."

"If it's real silver it's real enough. I really need it."

"Not until you tell me why you need it." Michaela opened her mouth, but Candace stopped her. "The real reason."

Larry did say she could tell the truth about the museum, but should she?

"Come on, what's up?"

Michaela took a deep breath. "Ok, I'll tell you but it's going to sound crazy. The museum comes to life at night with the power from Ahkmenrah's tablet."

Candace stared at Michaela for a moment. Then she laughed. "The museum comes to life? That's a good one."

"I told you it was going to sound crazy, but it's the truth. Captain Marcus wants that necklace and if he doesn't get it then he's going to kill me and my friend Larry."

"Yeah, still not buying it."

"Come to the museum with me tonight. Then you'll see."

"Sure, why not? Homework and sleep can wait."

"And bring the necklace."

"Ok, I'll bring the necklace too."

Well, at least Candace will bring the necklace. But what will happen if it's not the real thing? Will Marcus know? And if it isn't the real one Marcus won't be happy and Candace will be in danger because of her. Hopefully, things will go their way. Then again, when do things ever go their way?


End file.
